Citi Microentrepreneurship Awards hails economic triumph of winners in community town halls across the country

On its 11th year, the Citi Microentrepreneurship Awards (CMA) capped another successful nationwide search for outstanding microeconomic heroes with community town halls held across the country.

A partnership among BangkoSentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), Microfinance Council of the Philippines, Inc. (MCPI) and Citi Philippines, this year’s CMA awarded seven individuals for their exemplary leadership in microenterprise. They are:

  • Enrico Fojas from Hagonoy, Bulacan, who turned a PhP5,000 loan into Cookie Mill Feeds, and bested over 100 nominations to win the 2013 National Award.
  • Marylyn Cleto, a former overseas worker who came home and used her meagre savings to start a soft brooms manufacturing business won the CMA Luzon Award.
  • Regina Paller, a survivor of Typhoon Frank in 2008 won the CMA Visayas Award for setting up the successful Ken-ken Talabahan diner in Passi City, Iloilo. While Paller’s business also suffered from the devastation wrought by Typhoon Yolanda, she continues to persevere for her family and community members.
  • Necy Ann Ty, recipient of the CMA Mindanao Award, established Higher Ground together with her husband, which caters to the mountaineering market in Davao City.
  • Rosario Caparas, winner of the Special Award for Innovation, for introducing new variants of flavouredbuchi (glutinous rice balls) to Laguna.
  • Maria GudillaArgabio won the Special Award for Agri Micro-Business for transforming a 3-hectare plot of farmland in Negros Occidental to a thriving agri-business that sells sugarcane while providing livelihood to 50 farmers.
  • Jennilyn Antonio, a CMA Award Winner from 2006, grew a backyard peanut butter making business into a PhP30 million enterprise. Jennilyn now supplies peanut butter to major bakeries under the “EHJE’S” brand while exporting her product to Singapore and Japan. For her remarkable business growth and track record of sustainability, she won the Special Award for Microenterprise Leadership.

Funded by Citi Foundation, the CMA has recognized 93 outstanding microentrepreneurs since its introduction in 2002.

Officials of BSP, MCPI and Citi led the town halls in partnership with the microfinance institutions supporting the winners. Although the winners were recognized in a national awarding ceremony last December 3, the town hall gatherings became an opportunity for the winners’ families, friends, and community to participate in the celebrations. The town hall celebrations introduced in 2012 have proven to be a successful model for promoting the gains and benefits of microfinance to local communities.

Community Role Models
The first town hall gathering was held in February 11 in Hagonoy, Bulacan for National Winner Enrico Fojas. A client of the Urban Program for Livelihood Finance and Training (UPLiFT) Philippines, Inc., Fojas shared the beginnings of his Cookie Mill Feeds and how it has grown to earn an estimated PhP2.7 million annually and employing 21 people.

Fojas makes use of discarded bread and transformed these into natural feeds for the growing livestock industry in Bulacan, and showcased that success in business comes not only through hard work, but through innovation and identifying the right opportunities.

Special Awardee for Innovation Rosario Caparas’ flavored buchi story was also highlighted in a celebratory town hall in her honor in Binan, Laguna last February 17. As Buchi King continues to expand its market, Rosario also continues to receive business support and spiritual guidance from the CCT Savings and Credit Cooperative where she inspired other members of her microfinance institution to also focus on their businesses through hard work and innovation. Citi Corporate Affairs Director Aneth Ng-Lim attended the affair, together with Citi volunteers CecilleFonacier and Muffet Flores, who visited Caparas’ place of business as part of the screening process and supported her nomination.

The town halls culminated in a small ceremony held in Davao City, honoring the accomplishments of Necy Ann Ty, regional award winner for Mindanao. Joining Ty in this affair were Citi Philippines CEO BataraSianturi as well as Aneth Lim, BSP microfinance consultant Eduardo Jimenez and MCPI Executive Director Allan Sicat.

Ty found her success in the manufacturing of gear and apparel of mountaineering enthusiasts. Recognizing the potential of Davao’s mountaineering market, she started with an initial capital PhP3,500 and a sewing machine borrowed from her mother-in-law. She began the brand Higher Ground together with her husband and due to good marketing and distribution strategies, the Tys were able to grow to four branches covering the entire region Mindanao. Her microfinance institution, Rizal Microbank, provides financial support for the expansion of the business, which is now competing with products imported from other countries such as China. Rizal Microbank President Ma. Lourdes Pineda also attended the town hall to show her personal and professional support for the Tys.

Today’s Heroes
Addressing the intimate crowd in Davao City, Sianturi said, “Microentrepreneurs and microenterprises are considered to be the backbone of the Philippine economy. This is why it is important for us to recognize their outstanding achievements as well as the invaluable support provided to them by their microfinance institutions. Citi strongly believes in the power that both microfinance and microentrepreneurship have in alleviating poverty and providing a sustainable solution to economic progress for all. Microfinance can transform ordinary people into symbols of hope and the CMA is our way of recognizing these modern economic heroes for their courage and desire to overcome obstacles.”

Aside from cash prizes, awardees undergo entrepreneurship training at the Citi Microenterprise Development Center at Bayan Academy and are given microinsurance coverage. They also become members of the CMA Alumni Network – a winners’ circle organized to promote experience sharing, networking, and continuous learning among the alumni.

CMA-Main photo(From left) Citi Philippines CEO Batara Sianturi toasts the husband and wife team of George and Necy Ty for building a homegrown brand – Higher Ground. They are joined by Rizal Microbank President Ma. Lourdes Pineda, Citi Corporate Affairs Director Aneth Ng-Lim, and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Microfinance Consultant Eduardo Jimenez.